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Category Archives: Hindus in Bangladesh

In Memory of Tomalika Shingha and writer Arpita Roychoudhury

Community Women Against Abuse are distressed and at loss by the mysterious death of our member and an exiled Bangladeshi feminist activist, Tomalika Shingha. Better known as Arpita Roychoudhury, Tomalika had served the collective as a public engagement and social media lead for more than a year. At our shock, Tomalika’s deadbody was mysteriously found in the shower room of her Berlin residence on Tuesday, 18 December 2018. The reason for Tomalika’s death is unknown and being investigated.

We express our deep condolence to Tomalika Shingha’s family. Tomalika’s sudden death is not only a loss for her family but also an unrecoverable loss for the collective of CWAA. Formerly a Botany student, the 22-year old Tomalika had overcome an incredible and lonely journey following her gang rape in 2016. In May 2016, she was abducted by a group of local Islamists, claimed to be belonging to Tangail and Maymensingha Awami League, then was drugged and raped for three days because of her belief and atheist writing. She sought safety in Germany following repeated death threats and sexual violence by her rapists. She had overcome extremely difficult situation during her flight in Bangladesh, India and in Berlin in 2016 and 2017.

It has been more than two weeks since Tomalika’s body was discovered in her residence. Her family have been eagerly waiting for the autopsy report and the coffin. But Berlin Police is yet to say when the body will be released and be handed over to her family.

“German Police never contacted the family. We never heard from the Police. They are only keeping in touch with the Bangladesh High Commission in Germany. It is causing further mental distress at this time of grief”, said Tomalika’s father.

This is unacceptable and alarming. In our view, Police should get in touch with victim’s family without delay. It is the duty of Police to update the family about the progress of investigation and about a tentative date of when the coffin would be handed over to family.

Further distressing news is that while Tomalika’s death is being investigated, a group of bloggers and Bengali news men have engaged in stories by suggesting that Tomalika Shingha’s death might be a predicted suicide. We urge everyone to disengage from and reject such fairy tales.

“Tomalika was not suicidal”, said her father and younger sister. During their last telephone conversation with Tomalika on 12 December, Tomalika sounded in good spirit – said her younger sister. Likewise, CWAA spokeperson Dr Rumana Hashem, who had known Tomalika closely for nearly three years and had written about her story, confirmed that there was no visible symptom of suicide till her last correspondence. Tomalika sounded hopeful and interested in getting involved in frontline feminist activism in early December 2018.

Tomalika was an extraordinarily strong personality, an outspoken feminist and an atheist writer of minority Singhalese background. She wanted to live, and sought safety in Berlin in winter 2017. Her host, PEN Centre Deutschland, knew her as a firm and positive person. “If she wanted to commit suicide, she could have done so 2 years ago after her rape”, said Tomalika’s father.

We express our utter disturbance by the ongoing smear campaign against Tomalika Shingha. As her father, we see such smearing is a way to cover up the crimes perpetrated against Tomalika by those who forced her to exile.

These criminals also claim that Tomalika Shingha was a traitor, hence she was exiled. They are threatening her father “to keep quiet”. “Or they would destroy and banish me and rape my other daughter”, said Tomalika Shingha’s father. Bangladeshi and German media are silent about the incidence. Instead of publishing the names of her perpetrators media published victim’s home address, father’s name, work place and details about the family. “This has furthered the potential for persecution and enabled her rapists to target her younger sister”, reported Tomalika’s father.

We advise press to stop publishing fairy tales and refraining from re-victimising the victim. Media should publish the details of her rapists and extremists who forced Tomalika Shingha to seek safety in Germany. We call upon all media to only publish first hand accounts of her family members. According to Tomalika Shingha’s father newsmen in Bangladesh and Germany never tried to contact him. Neither police nor media made any contact with Tomalika’s father. Tomalika Shingha’s family is currently under religious persecution.

We call upon the government of Bangladesh to take urgent initiative to ensure safety of Tomalika’s family. We call upon German Police to ensure a fair investigation into Tomalika Shingha’s mysterious death. We demand Justice for Tomalika Shingha.

Readers are encouraged to share this post with your friends and network – far and wide. Tomalika Shingha’s family need your support. Please DO NOT engage with any story of suicide before Tomalika Shinghas’s autopsy has been completed.

Tweet to German Police by asking for a fair and prompt investigation. You can say:

“German #polizei, ensure fair and prompt investigation into Bangladeshi feminist and exiled writer @PEN_ Deutschland Tomalika Shingha’s mysterious death. Why is it taking you so long to give us a clue of what/who killed Tomalika? Did @polizeiberlin contact victim’s family yet?

Tweet to Bangladesh’s prime minister and say: “PM @PmSHasina we’re pleased to see a female PM in Bangladesh. Did you hear the mysterious death of a young minority woman of your country whose body was found in Berlin? What are you doing to get a fair investigation into #TomalikaShingha’s death ? When will #Tomalika’s coffin be handed over to her family?

Sheikh Hasina, ensure #JusticeForTomalikaShingha

Or tweet: “The young Bangladeshi feminist and atheist writer @PEN_ Deutschland whose deadbody was discovered in her Berlin residence was gang raped by ruling party Islamists in Bangladesh. They’re now threatening victim’s father. As a woman leader of Bangladesh @PmSHasina must ensure #JusticeForTomalikaShingha

The situation of religious minorities, violence against Hindus and atrocities on Santal indigenous people has not changed or improved in Bangladesh. Since late October, government has hardly acted against the identifiable criminals and to prevent atrocities against Santals and Hindu minorities – let alone rehabilitation of the people who were faced with genocide in their ancestors’ land. We stand with the victims and survivors in Santal villages. We echo the voices of Hindu victims and support the Santal resilence. We call upon everyone to take action by following the advice of our friends at Secular Bangladesh Movement and Swadhinota Trust. Below is a call out for action that we reproduced from Swadhinota Trust listserve, issued on 10 Dec 2016 World Human Rights Day by the Swadhinata Trust, Nirmul Committee with the support of the Network of Social Change.

It is beyond the capacity of the small groups of individuals or communities under sustained attack to assert their rights against very powerful political movements and land grabbers. We therefore need political, moral and, most importantly, immediate financial support from people from across the world who are concerned about this terrifying situation. We hope the vision of a common humanity will prevail over this terrible situation and that help reaches the beleaguered victims as soon as possible.

Things you can do to support

Speak out about the plight of religious minorities of Bangladesh with friends, families, neighbours and colleagues to increase awareness

A spontaneous and well-participated hunger strike against atrocities on and destruction of Santal villages and minority people in Bangladesh, led by Secular Bangladesh Movement UK, was successfully held in front of Bangladesh High Commission in London. The Below statement was handed over to Bangladesh High Commissioner in London on Wednesday, 23rd November 2016 by the hunger strikers for the prevention of violence against minorities and justice for Santal indigenous people in Bangladesh.

A delegation of hunger strikers led by Pushpita Gupta of Secular Bangladesh Movement, UK, handed over a copy of the memorandum to Bangladesh High Commissioner in London on 23 Nov 2016. Photo credit: Atish D Saha

We, concerned community members and cultural activists from Bangladeshi-British origin, along with representatives of human rights and indigenous rights organisations and other UK-based civil society members and supporters of peace and humanity, are outraged by the ongoing atrocities against religious minorities and indigenous people in Bangladesh that have been committed by identifiable perpetrators. We strongly condemn the widespread and systematic attacks on Santal and religious minorities in Bangladesh.

Over the past few years news of Hindus and Buddhists and their temples and shrines being attacked in Bangladesh has dominated Bangladeshi and international media. This year the news of atrocities in Santal villages, and attacks on temples and idolatries in Bangladesh started since the onset of Diwaali, an annual religious festival of Hindu communities. Following an allegedly defamatory Facebook post by a Hindu community member who removed the post and apologised rightaway, systematic attacks on Hindu people and Santal villages by hardliner-Muslim protesters, demanding the death of the concerned young man, took a form of ethnic cleansing.

The young man denied sharing the post and was arrested by Bangladeshi police. Nevertheless, the atrocities on Hindu and Santal people continued while authorities appeared as ineffective as silent in relation to prevention of atrocities and prosecution of those responsible for the organised violence against religious minorities in a supposedly secular state.

Hindu people have been persecuted and Santal citizens including Hindu priests in Bangladesh are being attacked, by sharp weapons, over and over. Their homes were burned down, temples and idolatries were broken down, and they were brutally persecuted across countryside of Bangladesh – from Nasirnagar to Chattak. The organised atrocities are similar to 2012 when 2,5000 Muslim rioters burnt Buddhist temples. It has been reported that ongoing attacks on Hindu homes and Hindu temples have seen over 17 temples while hundreds of homes burned across the country. Some claim that over 300 homes were destroyed. Words cannot describe the brutality of organised violence against innocent women and men belonging to Santal and Hindu communities.

Today we stand in solidarity with the victims of the ongoing atrocities in Santal villages. We join this one day ‘hunger strike’ outside Bangladesh High Commission in London because we wish to express our profound concerns about religious violence. We are here because we wish to be heard by the Bangladeshi authorities that this widespread violence cannot be tolerated. We demand the concerned authorities to take immediate action to prevent violence and prosecute those responsible for atrocities. We call upon the Bangladesh High Commissioner to join us in asking the government to take immediate action to prevent violence against religious minorities in Bangladesh.

Bangladesh had been one of the largest democracies in the world, which has a secular (non-religious and non-communal) constitution. Although it has a large Muslim population, it is not only a Muslim country. Along with Muslims, Bangladesh had large number of Hindus, Ahmedias, Buddhists, some Christian population and 45 other indigenous communities who were there when the nation-state was born in 1971. The country is one of the fastest growing economies in South East Asia. It’s fight to be an independent nation-state based on democratic principles of freedom and justice was hard won 45 years ago. We believe Bangladesh will not give this fight up to any religious hardliners.

Religious extremists hate Bangladesh’s secular position and have been trying to destroy the nation’s secular values and space long since. For a country that prides in its secular democratic vision, in practice very little is done to bring about unity and cohesion and tolerance in Bangladesh. A successful secular nation is one where people of different practices should be able to stay safe and in harmony. Every evil in the Human world seems to stem from the intolerance of difference which often renders injustice to the minorities. Bangladesh should be able to overcome intolerance and malevolence. As progressive nations work toward harmony, Bangladeshi administration should work harder to ensure everyone including religious minorities to live in harmony, with their own beliefs and with equal dignity. All perpetrators of religious atrocities in Hindu and Santal villages must be brought under the rule of Law with immediate effect.

We stand with victims of ongoing violence against religious minorities in Bangladesh. This Hunger Strike and Solidarity Vigil has been joined by Bangladeshi community organisations of all cultural, religious and ethnic background. It is time for us to stand united against religious violence. It is time to forget all of our differences. It is time for the concerned authorities to act with honesty and with courage to ensure safety of people and social cohesion. Bangladesh must not fail to confront religious violence. We demand the authorities to act audaciously. The fight for secular values, equality of all, and social cohesion in Bangladesh is necessary to regain our diversity and democracy.

Pushpita Gupta – a community women’s blog member and representative of minority rights hunger strikers stood with a placard for Santal people outside Bangladesh High Commission in London on Wednesday 23 November 2016. Photo credit: Atish D Saha

The last hunger strikers outside Bangladesh High Commission in London in black masks light candles for victims of violence against minority Santal people in Bangladesh in the evening of 23 November 2016. Photo credit: Atish D Saha

Extreme views have seen deaths of freethinkers in Bangladesh since 2013. Over the last few years news of Hindus and Buddhists and their temples and shrines being attacked in Bangladesh has also dominated Bangladeshi and even international newspapers. Earlier this year a shocking atrocity where foreigners and foreign born children of Bangladeshi citizens were hacked to death in a café in ISIS fashion killings is perhaps the most chilling and terrifying of its sort to ever happen in Bangladesh. From the onset of Hindu Diwaali this year news of temples and idolatries destroyed dominated newspapers once again. Then, last week was the news of a young man that has allegedly shared a face book post that some believe has denigrated the Masjid- Al-Haram, the great mosque of Makka, a holy site for Muslims.

Islamic group protesters gathered in Nasirnagar in protest and demanded the death of this young man who was hurting religious sentiments. The young man denied sharing this post and the police arrested him. However, this did not quell the angry mobs who were given permission to gather repeatedly. They gathered and used mosque loudspeakers to gather more and more people. They attacked Hindu people with sharp weapons including Hindu priests, burned down Hindu homes in the Brahmanbaria district of Eastern Bangladesh temples and idolatries were broken down throughout many parts of Bangladesh from Nasirnagar to Chattak. It is reminiscent of 2012 when 25000 Muslim rioters burned Buddhist temples. It has been reported that the current and ongoing attacks in Hindu homes and Hindu temples has seen over 17 temples and 100 homes burned across Bangladesh. Some claim it is as much as 300 homes.

The shocking part for me was the news that a Minister allegedly reacted to this young man by publicly saying something equivalent to ‘get those Malauns‘. I have not read that report however I have read many media defending the Minister stating that members of the Awami League ( Ruling party in Bangladesh) had stated that it is perhaps a word he used in private not in public. I have also read reports of the Minister stating ‘I will resign if anyone can prove I have said Malaun‘. I believed this Minister has said this and in protest of this ongoing attacks on Hindu population in Bangladesh I changed my profile ID to a slogan ‘Ami Malaun‘, meaning I am a malaun in support of friends, brothers sisters of Bangladeshi origin who have been subject to these atrocious and this slur word throughout their lifetime. Since then another thing that has happened is that I have had unsolicited approach from unknown people (who were on my face book list but not known to me personally) telling me to ‘Take it off’ and that I ‘should be mature about it’. On seeing the same message on my ID, I replied there that it was in protest of what the Minister allegedly said and even if he didn’t it was in support of this ongoing hatred against the decreasing Hindu population of Bangladesh since 1975. However I continued to get private in-box messages that were ‘educating me’ from the same individual and others who were asking me if I knew what Malaun meant and that I should take it down without asking my reasons for putting it up in the first place.

Religious persecution following the comments of Minister of animal well-being, who called Hindus as ‘malaun’. Source Ajanta Deb Roy

As a human being, I felt it was utterly disrespectful the tone and manner of ‘educating’ me. As a mother of three, two that are teenagers and as an educated individual, I found it alarming, surprising and patronising. As a woman I knew that a large male population feel that they are entitled to educate the woman, the lesser being, in this patronising manner.

If I was approached respectfully I would have had the mindset to communicate the following:

The word Malaun is a term derived from Arabic which means ‘accursed’ or ‘deprived of God’s mercy’. It is commonly used by Bangladeshi Muslims and Muslims of Bengal to ethnically slur a Hindu. If this is said by a Minister of a Country, be it in a slip of tongue or to incite violence then it must be protested.

There are some who suggest that this is a manipulation by the current government in order to create tensions and communal violence, while it flies over my head why any government would do that we should remember that attacks on minorities in South Asian countries are not unknown and religious sentiments are incensed to provoke atrocities on minorities. In Bangladesh Hindus are the second largest religion although only 8% of the population. Further please recall the communal violence that has a history of thousands of years in these countries.

Initially the invaders brought trade and the spread of Islam to Hindu and Buddhist region, not to mention the other tribal religions that existed and still exist in those regions. Then invasion in a the temples of Khajuraho in Madhya Pradesh when Mahmud of Ghazni came down the Indus plains from Afghanistan and plundered Hindu temples of gold jewellery and money. By 1024 he returned and went all the way to somnaath, now known as Gujrat and plundered more with feeble resistance from Hindus who thought that the lord Shiva had punished them. According to historians 50,000 Hindus were killed and temples were destroyed to the ground. Then came the Muizzu’Din of Turkey in 12th century and the Delhi sultanate in the 13th century and Tughluqs in the 14th, and Timur in 1398 who is said to have seen 5 million deaths. Other names not to forget in Bengal is Alauddin Khilji the early 13th century and Hazrat Shahjalal from Delhi who arrived in Sylhet in 1303 with 360 disciples. A dispute with Gaur Gabindh created a fight which he won. The tensions continued in the Mughal era being the descendants of Timur and Genghis Khan. It was the 16th century Akber the Great who brought a long and ushered Golden Age. He married a Hindu princess and appointed Hindu ministers and this golden era was somewhat undone by Aurangazeb 1658- 1707. However, even during these times Hindus and the growing Muslim population managed to live, on the whole, harmoniously. It is reported by Indian psychoanalyst and author Sudhir Kakur that ‘It was a multicultural co-existence rather than any merger into a single, composite culture.’ I explain that as Hindus and Muslims and Buddhists and other religions were getting along with each other and accepting each others ethnic similarities and their religious differences.

The modern violence and it must be said that no other violence that flared up was the one that did during the British rule in India. Despite of Mahatma Ghandi’s attempt to unite, the demand to split up Pakistan and India on the basis of religion from Mohammed Ali Jinnah giving it a two state solution was never a solution as communal violence continued between India and Pakistan. What more West Pakistan which was over a 10000 miles away from East Pakistan and very intolerant and non accepting of Bengali people who were culturally linguistically different. Bengali’s had a history and language of thousands of years and thus were not ‘Muslim’ enough and not clean enough for the rulers of Pakistan based on religion. This was the backdrop of the independence of East Pakistan which is now Bangladesh.

The point of this extremely brief history is that this attitude has not changed. Generation after generation an inherent ignorance and hatred of each others’ religion has continued. The same loot and attacks over religious rhetoric. It is astonishing that large groups are given permission to gather in this way in full knowledge of communal violence of south Asia and which is increasingly happening in Bangladesh. A Hindu person commented that even in 1971 Nasirnagar was a safe place for Hindus.

It is the responsibility of the leaders of a nation to change this rhetoric and to change this scene and to change it now. It does not happen overnight but the permission to gather over communal rows must be stopped. It is despicable that a Minister is implicated in all this and that is why whether he said it or not he should resign. The use of slurring word such as ‘malaun’ must be banned and a fine imposed so that eventually people learn to live within the law.

History of other developed nations has demonstrated that within time peoples attitudes and vision change. Allowing communal tensions to fester and giving in to violence is an easy and an extremely dangerous option which is hovering over the head of every Bangladeshi person especially Hindus.

For a country that prides in its secular democratic vision, in practice very little is done to bring about unity and cohesion and tolerance in Bangladesh. A successful nation is one where it is fine to be different. Every evil in the Human world seems to stem from the intolerance of difference which often renders injustice to the minorities. When it is truly learned in Bangladesh that progressive nations work toward harmony though allowing everyone to live under the rule of Law with their own beliefs and with equal dignity.

Ends.

The author is a solicitor, a women’s rights activists and a member of community women’s blog who speak for the rights of all community women and men.